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The other part of me was still a little aggravated we didn’t just stay behind in Austin. The Project Night Moon case wasn’t going to solve itself, and Remus hadn’t made any progress on what happened to Billy — at least, that’s what he said the last time Eli had spoken to him. I couldn’t help but feel like I was wasting time here. Wasting time playing princess, no less, when there were wolves still in trouble half a world away.
The Longbow Pack wasn’t my pack. Eli had invited me, offered me a place within its ranks, but…this city was so big. So loud. It was everything Alaska wasn’t; it wasn’t anything like the Pacific Northwest, either. While I was used to a tight-knit pack, I obviously didn’t belong here, and I clearly didn’t belong with the Archers, either. They weren’t just one class above me; they were several.
No, they lived in a different world entirely. Meeting them all tonight, watching them watch me — there was no way I could ever fit in. They had generations who had been bred for this kind of lifestyle, and me? I’d had to cut it on my own. If I had been unsure before, I was blatantly aware now: I could never fit in with people like this.
My wolf whined quietly and I sighed, rubbing my arms. I took a deep breath and straightened my spine.
Ugh, Iris. Give the pity party a rest. This isn’t the first time you’ve had to smile and play nice with a bunch of rich folks.
You’d be amazed by what kind of shenanigans the rich got up to and what they needed a private detective to reveal…or conceal. Certainly not the type of things you’d want the local police involved with, at any rate.
You could do it for people you didn’t even like. You can manage another hour or so for someone you do.
That was as generous as I felt towards Eli right now.
Steeling myself, I checked on Bella one last time before taking a deep breath, letting myself out of the bedroom.They’re just people, Iris. Rich people. Filthy-rich people. You’ve dealt with people like them before. You can handle the Archers.
When I went back downstairs,it sounded like there weremorepeople than when I’d gone up, notfewer. It had been a family dinner — an admittedly extended one, with aunts, uncles, cousins, you name it — but there were definitely more wolves there now. Eli had told me the Longbow clan wasn’t very big, but they just seemed to keep appearing out of nowhere. It was certainly bigger than the Aurora Pack.
I didn’t see Eli as I glanced around, and I had half a mind to scamper right back upstairs.
No, I can handle waiting a few moments. He might have just needed to use the restroom or something.
Part of me also wished I could go over to the bar and pass the time by getting a drink, but I was still recovering from my run-in with Dr. Brenner. It wasn’t worth the risk just to feel a little less uncomfortable right now. Besides, alcohol could mess with anxiety, so…definitely going to stick to water.
I took a step back, trying to see if I could spot Myles or Nic when a woman suddenly broke away from the others, her stilettos clicking on the stone floor as she made her way over to me. I glanced around, trying to find somewhere, anywhere else to go. Nope. She had me trapped, and she knew it.
She had mad Hannah Locke energy, right down to a sequined dress, though at least this woman had the sense to wear a slightly more muted color. Not that eggplant purple was particularly flattering, but I supposed being a shimmering eggplant was probably a better look than a sparkling, overstuffed hotdog.
“Iris, is it?” she asked, extending a hand. The smile on her face was as fake as the breasts on her chest. “I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. It’s a pleasure.”
I took a deep breath and offered her the same fake warm expression, offering her a firm shake. It would take more than that to intimidate me. Girls could be mean, but she had nothing on some of the officers I’d dealt with in precincts across the States. “I’m Iris, yes,” I said, carefully not giving her any more than she already knew.
Her eyes flashed. “My name is Viola Archer Beckett. I’m Eli’s mother.”
Ah, yes.
Seeing this woman up close — so much suddenly clicked into place. The way Eli seemed to pretend he only had a father. He had indicated he hadn’t expected to see his mother yesterday when we arrived at the estate, and I had guessed as much based on his reaction when she’d tried to smother him with a hug. But it didn’t seem right to bring it up in the moment, and it felt like every moment we’d had since then hadn’t been private. “Nice to meet you, Viola,” I replied, making it clear it very muchwasn’t.
Eli didn’t have to lay out the details of his childhood for me to guess it hadn’t all been sunshine and roses. Nic had been courting Fiona, and shifters did not separate often or easily. Eli had some very strong feelings about mateship, much less the fated type. He’d said little things, too —my mother and I aren’t close anymore. At all.
I hadn’t forgotten that.
At the moment, I couldn’t imagine this woman trying to take care of a child. At the moment, she simply seemed proud that her son was an Archer — not that he was an individual or a person. I felt irritated on his behalf.
I withdrew my hand, trying to figure out a quick way to extract myself from having to interact with this woman any further when she put a hand on her hip. “I’ve heard you’re his future mate. Is that true?”
I almost spluttered.Almost. “He’s your son,” I countered. “Maybe you should ask him.”
Her smile intensified. “I’m asking you, dear.”
My spine prickled. My wolf’s instincts had always been weak, but I still found myself struggling not to bare my teeth at the woman. “I’m not your ‘dear,’ Viola,” I replied, straightening a little. “We just met. You can call me Iris.”
“Are you his future mate or not,Iris?” She spat my name like it was some sort of insult. Like it tasted foul. Like it wasbeneath her.
I fought back the urge to outright snarl at her. Even my wolf bristled, laying her ears flat against her skull. She usually shrank away from this sort of confrontation. “That’s none of your business,Viola,” I replied, smiling blithely. “Though I might advise you not to believe every rumor you hear. I would have hoped a grown woman would have learned that lesson by now.”
Viola inhaled sharply and took a step closer to me. “I would have hoped a grown woman would pick clothing that didn’t look like it came from the local thrift store.”
